Only touch matters
A massage in the dark awakens the senses.
THE concept of dining in the dark has taken off in restaurants in cities like London, San Francisco and Paris, and now a similar approach to spas and massages looks ready to win an increasing number of fans in France.
At Spa dans le noir ( Spa in the Dark), which opened in Paris and Bordeaux in 2010, exfoliations, massages, baths and other treatments are offered in the dark by blind or partially sighted professionals.
Inspired by the ancient South Asian tradition of the so called "blind- massages", Spa dans le noir invites its clients to focus on touch and smell in an environment that compels a complete detachment from all things visual. The French spas were conceived and developed by Didier Roche, who is blind.
Darkness facilitates and even improves the process of relaxation. It enhances the other senses and allows for total body and spiritual release, while also protecting from unwanted attention.
Physical complexes are more easily overcome and the more prudish have nothing to fear or hide. In the dark, only touch matters.
The concept has proven popular and inspired others.
State- certified masseurs, partially sighted for the most part, whether practicing for organisations or private entities, have brought "blind massage" to clients who have been won over by the cocoon- like comfort. Even those who start off hesitant or panicked end up being seduced by the atmosphere.
In Beijing, China, the Beijing Massage Hospital began training blind masseurs in therapeutic practices in 1956. Forty years later, the practice was legitimised with the creation of the Chinese Massage Association of Blind Practitioners.
Since a 2006 government initiative, the number of practitioners has been steadily increasing, to the point of today surpassing 100,000 certified blind therapists. A 2014 movie by Chinese director Lou Ye titled Blind Massage, based on a novel by Bi Feiyu, centres around the lives of a group of sight- impaired practitioners.
Though the treatments to ease pain or tension are the same when performed by a blind professional or a seeing one, the difference often comes through in the hands. A good massage depends on tactile sensibility, and blind people have a considerable advantage in this, which is why the therapeutic massage sector is a primary recruiter.
In France, in 2006, out of the 55,000 practitioners in the business, between 1,500 and 2,000 state certified masseur- physiotherapists were blind or partially sighted according to The National Union of Blind and Partially Sighted Masseurs ( UNKAM ). – AFP Relaxnews